The Hetero-Wash of History

Here’s Green: This is a problem for two reasons: Rauschenberg’s frequently referenced his homosexuality in groundbreaking ways in his own work (much of which was autobiographical and even more of which was intensely about the then-immediate present), and because history tends to hetero-wash whenever possible, to ignore or deny homosexuality when it’s convenient.

OK, but Rauschenberg resisted the label, as he resisted all labels. Here’s a snippet from a 2004 interview with Deborah Solomon, which could be the artist’s final word on the subject.

Solomon: Aren’t you having another show now at Yale?

Rauschenberg: Yes. I am not happy with it. It was organized by the gay studies department, whatever that is. It’s not an approach that makes sense. … I refused to give them permission to reproduce the works in a catalog.